Live Mealworms .5-1"

Mealworms Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Family: Tenebrionidae Genus: Tenebrio Species: T. molitor Binomial name Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1758 Mealworms (larvae of Tenebrio molitor) illustrated by Des Helmore Mealworms are the larval form of the yellow mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle. Like all holometabolic insects, they go through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Larvae typically measure about 2.5 centimetres (0.98 in) or more, whereas adults are generally between 1.25 to 1.8 centimetres (0.49 to 0.71 in) in length. Reproduction Tenebrio molitor larvae eating an apple slice The mealworm beetle breeds prolifically. Males insert sperm packets with their aedeagus. Within a few days the female burrows into soft ground and lays eggs. Over her lifespan, a female will, on average, lay about 500 eggs.[1